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Accidents · NTSB CHI85FA259 · Preliminary: the investigation is not finished

Taylorcraft BC12-D1 accident near Mundelein, Illinois, June 28, 1985

On June 28, 1985 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Taylorcraft BC12-D1, registered N44340, was destroyed in an accident near Mundelein, Illinois. It was an aerial observation flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).

The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged

The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
June 28, 1985 · about 3:30 pm local time · cases in 1985
Place
Mundelein, Illinois · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
2 people were killed.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Taylorcraft BC12-D1 · all BC12-D1s on the register
Registration
N44340 · registry record · serial 10140
Damage
Destroyed
Flight
Aerial observation flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

THE ACFT CONTACTED TERRAIN IN A NEAR VERTICAL ATTITUDE APRX 1/4 MILE EAST OF THE PLT'S PRIVATE AIRSTRIP. THERE WERE NO WITNESSES TO THE ACCIDENT, HOWEVER, THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED FLYING AT LOW ALTITUDES PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. AN AUTOPSY REPORT ON THE PASSENGER DISCLOSED SEVERE CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE AND A RECENT HEMORRHAGE INTO A PLAQUE AT THE ORIGIN OF THE LEFT CIRCUMFLEX ARTERY.

The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.

The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English

Pilot

  • Certificate: private
  • Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
  • Flight time: 3,850 hours in all
  • Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
  • Seat: left

The aircraft

  • Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
  • Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
  • Seats: 2
  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Engine: Continental A65-8F (piston); 0 hours total

The flight

  • Flight plan: none
  • Runway 0
  • A second pilot was aboard

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Wind: from 120° at 10 knots
  • Visibility: 10 statute miles
  • Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 5,000 ft
  • Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
  • Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
  • Observation at 2:50 pm from ORD, 25 miles away

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Crew1
Passengers1

Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report

The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.

Connections how this case links to the rest of the register

Aircraft
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Analytics

The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CHI85FA259.json.

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Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.